Padres fail at Crochet, Dodgers transfer talks, Jazz Chisholm favorite

The first half of the MLB season is officially over as the All-Star break has begun. This week, MLB fans can enjoy top events like the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game.

These events will be exciting to watch, but it’s hard not to think ahead. The All-Star break means the MLB transfer deadline is just a few weeks away. We saw a trade of Hunter Harvey to the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, and there are sure to be more transfers over the next 15 days or so.

Now let’s get you up to speed on the latest MLB rumors, of which there are sure to be plenty as the deadline is quickly approaching.

The Miami Marlins are one of the few known sellers. The question is how far they are willing to go. The fact that they traded away their best hitter, Luis Arraez, who came with additional control of the team in May suggests they are willing to go far. That means a guy like Jazz Chisholm Jr. is available for the right price.

Chisholm hasn’t quite reached the star potential many see in him, but he’s still a good player. The 26-year-old has a .251/.320/.410 batting average in 90 games this season, hit 12 home runs and stolen 18 bases. He’s played center field in recent years, but has moved up to second baseman and could play a good center field position for other interested teams.

He hasn’t reached his maximum yet, but it’s not hard to imagine that if Chisholm stays healthy, he could easily hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a season. He would have two full seasons under his club’s control after this season, making him a very valuable player.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today revealed a favorite in the Chisholm sweepstakes, and it wasn’t the New York Yankees, a team Chisholm has been linked to on multiple occasions.

“The Miami Marlins have hoped all season that they could trade center fielder Jazz Chisholm, with the Seattle Mariners as the favorites. The Kansas City Royals have also expressed interest in Chisholm, but the Philadelphia Phillies have no interest in him at all.”

That’s too plausible. The Seattle Mariners, a team starved for offensive power, should definitely look to a big bat like Chisholm. He won’t play center field when Julio Rodriguez is in the game, but it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see him back in the infield on a regular basis.

The Los Angeles Dodgers dragged their feet in the first half and have lost seven of their last 10 games, including two of three in Detroit. Given the number of injuries they are currently battling, a minor setback like this is understandable.

Despite their late-half slump, the Dodgers are a team everyone expects to be in contention for the World Series in October. Once some of their injured players return, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them get back on track, and they could use the trade deadline to become even more dangerous. Jon Morosi of MLB Network offered some insight into the Dodgers’ current plans.

Their focus is on the rotation, and it’s hard to argue against that. Walker Buehler, Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsollin, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Emmet Sheehan and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are all on the injured list. Most of these pitchers are expected to return at some point in the second half, with Kershaw and Glasnow perhaps even returning by the end of July, but durability and depth are the biggest concerns right now, and that’s not even counting Bobby Miller, who struggled so much that he was demoted.

Whether they sign a big fish like Garrett Crochet or look for a replacement player, the Dodgers at least need a transfer if they want to go far.

As has become tradition at the deadline, AJ Preller and the San Diego Padres are being linked to the big names, most notably Garrett Crochet. Crochet makes a lot of sense for a Padres team that has high-level talent to trade and needs in its rotation.

The Padres completed a trade with the Chicago White Sox for Dylan Cease in the offseason, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if those two teams come to another agreement. In fact, Preller has already tried to get Crochet, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

“The San Diego Padres recently made an offer for Chicago White Sox star Garrett Crochet, but it was quickly rejected.”

Of course, it’s disheartening when a rejection trickles down, but a rejected offer doesn’t mean the Padres no longer want Crochet at all. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Preller become even more aggressive in his pursuit of the left-hander.

The White Sox have absolutely no reason to trade Crochet weeks before the deadline without getting an offer that blows them away. We saw the Nationals trade Hunter Harvey for just a package that blows them away. We saw the Marlins do the same for Luis Arraez with Preller’s Padres.

There’s every reason to believe the White Sox will trade Crochet if they want to trade him. There’s also every reason to believe that if the White Sox trade Crochet, one of the league’s most aggressive GMs will be in the running with a ton of capital for high-profile young players.